I don't understand. I made it through the second episode and gave up. Why is it so popular? What am I missing here?
Because it's full of complex character interactions and psychological manipulations, not only of the characters, but even of the audience.
For example, the first of the "main characters" we meet is Ned Stark- a man who is very much a "from the front" type of leader, who sticks by his word and is VERY honorable. One who you'd usually call a good guy. We see his incredible disdain for Jaime Lanister- not for the logical reason of his name being pronounced wrong, but because Jaime was the man who killed the previous king, while a bodyguard charged with protecting said king. Naturally, the honorable man is going to object to that, and the show kind of hints that Jamie is a bit of a bastard- until much later on, when you learn that he killed the king because the king had gone insane, and was planning on detonating hidden caches of napalm all around the mostly-wooden city to ruin the victory of the man he was at war with, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people, all in the name of spite. The king's madness had been growing for some time, and anyone brave enough to defy him had long since been killed, so Jaime finally decided to end the war then and there by killing the king, thus sparing the city.
He is, then, FAR from the amoral monster that Ned- and consequently, the audience sees him. The show has moral complexity and nuance, without degenerating into the "everyone's actually a jackass and NO ONE is really good" atmosphere that that phrase usually implies. The interweaving character stories not only let them be complex in narrative, but also in presentation. It's MUCH more intelligently written than most of what's on TV these days.
It also averts many of the usual visual concessions to modern society you see elsewhere. Think of the L-shaped bedsheet you see all the time on characters in bed, which comes up to a man's waist, but a woman's chest. It's not here! In places where characters would logically be naked, they're NAKED- be it in bed, bath, or brothel, there are actually many scenes where nudity and/or sexual stuff is going on in the background, totally unrelated to what the camera's focusing on. Had you told me before I started watching it that that was a selling point, I'd've thought it was just for titillation, but it actually- and surprisingly, at least to me- DOES help to make it feel more real, since it's removing one of the concessions to modern modesty that weakens immersion.
Unfortunately, that kind of thing only goes so far, and it can't excuse crappy writing- and once the show got past the points where the books are stalled out, the writers had to make it up themselves, and they're not as good as Martin is. Things began to go downhill in season 5, and by the end of season 7, the writing was on the wall. Season 8, however, managed to not only match but exceed the low expectations set before, and the ending reached a level of craptacularity that's impressive, in a way.
@NamerOfStars Wow, thank you for the detailed response. I love complexity and character immunity is a common issue in narratives. I think the graphic violence, rape, sex, etc. was overdone and a turn-off, not because that doesn't happen or isn't "real", but because I think the idea of it can be conveyed in other ways. I personally think it detracts from the story when it's so over the top. It seemed voyeuristic more than realistic, and it's the main reason I stopped watching.
There is a good story in there. But it's hard to make it past all the gratuitous violence, gratuitous sex, and seriously hateful people. There is a large cast without any clear "star". It was done that way on purpose. But only a few characters are likeable. 95% of the characters are the absolute worst scum of the planet.
I read fantasy books. I had Martin on my to--read list. But after watching Game of Thrones, I took him off the list. I have no interest in reading that kind of thing.
I watched the entire series, although I don't know why. I suppose it's because there is a decent story behind all the negative stuff. Plus there are some good actors and very good cinematography. Its a TV series, but it's filmed like a high budget AAA movie.
Anyway, I checked out the prequel from the library. About five minutes into I stopped. I decided I didn't want to endure more of it. I quit before I got sucked in. I doubt if I'll get back to it,
Opinion
26Opinion
Because of the theme music. I've never watched the show but a few years back there was a (now realtor) producer who made a music video.
Intro: Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons...
Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons!
Boooooooo-oooooooo-oooo-oooo-ooooooobs? ... Boobs and draaaaaaagooons, (Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons)
Boooooooo-oooooooo-oooo-oooo-ooooooobs? ... Boobs and draaaaaaagooons, (Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons)
Boooooooo-oooooooo-oooo-oooo-ooooooobs? ... Boobs and draaaaaaagooons, (Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons)
Boooooooo-oooooooo-oooo-oooo-ooooooobs? ... Boobs and draaaaaaagooons, (Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons)
[Higher pitch] Booooooooo-oooo-oooobs... (dragons and booobs?)
Booooooooo-oooo-oooobs... (booobs and dragons)
Boooooooooooooo-oooooooooo-ooooobs and dragons? (Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons)
[Higher pitch] Booooooooo-oooo-oooobs... (dragons and booobs?)
Booooooooo-oooo-oooobs... (booobs and dragons)
Boooooooooooooo-oooooooooo-ooooobs and dragons!
Increasing volume (Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons, Boobs and dragons)
Into my dick! Knife slash sound effect
Lol 😂 so its just porn?
@TheSpaceGnome I don't know. In 2015 some professional producer named Glen Dibenedetto made a fantastic video called Boobs And Dragons. He sung with enthusiasm and had like a harem, surprisingly these naked women would shake their tits when the camera switched over to them at the "boobs and dragons" portion, and youtube didn't censor anything. It's only at around covid time that Glen became a realtor and his entire youtube channel was renovated, only had realtor content at late 2021 whereas late 2019 I still saw the boobs and dragons. Now I couldn't find a trace on the internet. I used to have the boobs and dragons video downloaded on an old phone but it was deleted during factory reset.
@TheSpaceGnome wait, I spelled his name wrong, there's a space after DI. He is actually on IMDb imdb. com/name/nm5513657/
Maybe contact him so he can send you the video.
Just imagine his face singing "boobs and dragons" and some bare tits shaking around youtu. be/oizH_EBE5cI
At this point I'm actually more interested in how he had the influencial power not only bypass youtube's porn rules, but even more impressively, the power to delete something from the internet.
The general rule is once its on the internet, its on there forever.
Apparantly not boobs and dragons though, its just gone. Dude is like an internet wizard ersomething. 😂
@TheSpaceGnome it isn't but it has a lot of sex scenes
@Saggitariusdiva does it have giant spiders and wizard magic though?
So I actually haven't seen the show yet, and so I dunno if its any good, but from what I know about it from youtube or ads or other people.
Legend of zelda style music 👍
Dragons and other mythological creatures/monsters 👍
Decent CGI 👍
Knights and sorcerers etc. 👍
Nudity and lewd scenes 👍
Fan favored characters get killed off a lot 👎
HBO is overpriced 👎
I'm unaware if the acting is good or bad or a mix, or if there are things like plot holes or dumb story directions or an overly confusing story that is hard to follow, but killing off every likeable character is very offputting.
The creator of the series also helped work on the game Elden Ring and I liked that, but thats just dark souls 4 rebranded, and its meant to be convoluted and weird and is more about horror and good gameplay combat mechanics, whereas for a tv show you want to be able to follow whats going on so that way of designing it doesn't work out as well.
What was in the first episode that was already offputting?
I liked it for a few reasons. You had no idea where the story was going to go. The complexity of the characters meant there were only two really good people and the rest varying degrees of good and bad, which is far more realistic than 99% of the trash on the screen. The visuals, plot lines, and characters were just developed to such a depth. It was just so unlike anything else ever out out. Admittedly it took about episode four before I was fully engaged.
This was the same for the Amazon series The Man In The High Castle. It was hard for me to get into until about episode four then I couldn’t stop.
As with most shows, you gotta give it more of a chance to get understand the plot, connect with and make your assumptions with the characters, and get to the climax. There's a lot in that show and let me tell you... each season has me hooked. It did end terribly and no one wanted that ending though.
@HawkPerception That's why I watched the second episode, instead of just the first. But by the end of the second episode, I was asking myself, how can this possibly get better? And I don't quite get how the complex plot is enhanced by the voyeurism and graphic violence. I mean, sometimes those things have a purpose and I get that, but I feel it detracts from the story when it's so bald. I just want to know there's a valid reason for it, that's all. I really like Peter Dinklage, he's one of my favorite actors, so I wanted to try and push through. And I'd heard the plot was unparalleled for complexity, which is a huge draw for me.
There is a valid reason for everything in it and it all connects, I promise you. You just have to keep watching.
The plot is amazing the battles, love stories and family fight I remember when I first watched it in 2023 I had to rewatch it again it's absolutely amazing and after watching game of thrones make sure to watch House of dragons it's what happened before game of thrones but watch it after or else it will spoil game of thrones for you
It’s because George R. R. Martin is a master of character development. You see very relatable human complexities in his GOT characters. They are not all larger then life mythical characters like the Lord of the Rings (well some are) but you actually get perspectives on the various challenges, struggles and good and evil people contend with.
Honestly I have no idea. I've heard lots of people comparing it to LOTR, but it has nothing to do with it.. I couldn't even make it through the first two episodes.. It's kinda hard to describe it, but I found the plot kinda nonsensical and the script, BAD. LOTR is a masterpiece in my opinion
Beats me. I watched the 1st one and didn't even make it to the end of the second!
I thought it was such a waste of my time!
It's fun not knowing what main character would die next
Because it's a good show back when they did so many seasons with a load of episodes per season released week by week 😪😭
I do remember it being a little slow to start but the character development is worth it
u The trades called it „tits and dragons“ 😂. So maybe it was just that combination…
So you're saying that you really can't understand why people would like a film series that was sculpted for the sole purpose of being entertaining? Jesus Christ...
It has lot of violence and sex, too much? make people feel like it's mature, also dragons.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/MCadjRCyhcwFantasy, science fiction, Jamie Lannister banging his sister, over the table in the tower! Humor, beheading, sword fighting, dragons, beautiful women, beautiful costuming.
Blood, gore, dirty talk,
Aren't you a bit late to this?
Anyway... I'd say it is good for most of its run and only goes to crap once it overtakes the books... but you couldn't make it past the 2nd episode, so... I guess you just don't like good things.
@SotiCoto
If I approach your response to my question technically, I am asking the question, not because I just now watched the two episodes, but because House of the Dragon is on Prime now and it's related to GoT. I haven't watched House of the Dragon because I didn't like what I saw of GoT. It made me curious why others pushed through on GoT, hence my question about why people liked the original show.
I don't enjoy watching graphic violence, incest and rape for the sake of graphic violence, incest and rape. I like to know it enhances and supports the plot in a meaningful way. The storyline was not riveting enough or the characters gripping enough in the first two episodes to hook me into pushing past the voyeuristic feel of the cinematography for their sake. Because I am willing to rethink my assessment, I'm inquiring of others to learn if it's worth trying again.
As for the final touche at my personal taste which you added on the end of your opinion as a flourish, I can't resist saying this. You are correct, how did you know I detest good things? Naturally, I utterly despise them. How could anyone possibly waste their time on anything worthwhile or excellent? Unthinkable. Why should complexity, character, eloquence, tragedy, heroism, sacrifice, love, depth or humor even exist? We humans only deserve the mundane and the childish. Back to my Chutes and Ladders game I return to avoid risking exposure to that which could inform and enhance my understanding of the immaterial and of the human psyche.
I am using sarcasm there, in case anyone missed it.
Reality has graphic violence, rape and, to a lesser extent, incest. It doesn't need to contribute to plot advancement. It just contributes to making the setting believable. The flipside is that when fictional series completely avoid these sorts of topics, that comes across as overly sanitised and unbelievable.
In any case... the plot in Game of Thrones is a convoluted tangle that takes time to properly build up. The first two episodes are just setting the scene. Not to say significant things don't occur, but they are scene-setting. It isn't the sort of series where every single episode is a self-contained story. I mean it is based on a book series (which is probably never going to be finished), and the books are even more longwinded.
Anyhow... are you American? Between the "Chutes and Ladders" thing and the disturbingly unsubtle sarcasm, I'm guessing so. If not then Murica has much to answer for.
@SotiCoto I hear that, and that is what I am talking about.
"Reality has graphic violence, rape and, to a lesser extent, incest. It doesn't need to contribute to plot advancement. It just contributes to making the setting believable. The flipside is that when fictional series completely avoid these sorts of topics, that comes across as overly sanitised and unbelievable".
Making the setting believable contributes to the plot.
"So, I guess you just don't like good things..."
Making my sarcasm blindingly obvious was a response to the generalization you made, that's all.
@TheRealPepperPotts : The generalisation I made was facetious. Reference again what I said about subtlety.
Anyhow, how about a little funny trivia... The books have a few things that the television series didn't, but one thing that particularly stands out are the food descriptions. I say this because a lot of fantasy authors have weird signature quirks that make their writing easily identifiable... and GRRM's is food-porn. You get to hear everything that everyone is eating. Entire feasts described piece for piece... right down to the last suckling pig, lamprey pie and lemon cake.
For sure the books have just as much rape as the TV series... but first you find out what the rapist had for supper.
@SotiCoto Tragically, subtlety is lost on the internet. :( I've learned that to communicate, I can never assume that people pick up on nuance. Without vocal inflections and facial expressions, I've unintentionally insulted or offended when I was simply, as you said, being facetious. It's a sorrowful thing, truly.
Food is so important in literature. All the best authors are sure to include mouth-watering descriptions of almost anything. A great writer can even make liver and onions sound enticing (long story; I've tried three times, couldn't manage it. I could do a pate', though).
@TheRealPepperPotts : Communication online with strangers is a crap-shoot regardless of whether one is being sarcastic or not. But at least the playing field is more even online. All that "vocal inflection and facial expressions" stuff is lost on the likes of me. Context... i. e. the only way of identifying sarcasm online... is the only way I ever had in the first place.
@TheRealPepperPotts : I was kinda testing your memory by not explicitly mentioning it a second time. To be fair though, I don't have as much difficulty reading others' sarcasm as they have reading mine. I'm used to their ways. They're not used to mine...
Sex, violence, power greed. People don't like watching Teletubbies, they want to see monsters.
I guess they like 10 minute opening credits. I turned on the first episode once and I don't think I made it into the actual show...
I never even watched one episode I saw bits and pieces here and there what I seen I was like no thanks not interested
It destroys the idea of main character immunity. You don't know who will die and who will live. It also makes the characters seem more human. None of them are all good or all bad.
Perfect explanation.
@Flatmanlewis it's mostly what GRRM said. He said that he doesn't want his readers to feel any character is safe. He wants his readers to be afraid of a character dying.
No idea. I liked the politics of it, but that's about it
Because they watched more than two episodes can't tell if anything is good from to episodes. It was an great show until the last season it was terrible
The story line and is so unpredictable it makes the show really fun to watch.
It was OK kind of dragged along a little bit too much and then the last show was horrible
I tried, but didn't like it.
Violence and blatant sex scenes.
Cause it was a bad ass show
I do it was a good show of it’s time
its pretty fun and suspensful
it is so hip and sexy me I can't stand it.
It gets good after the second or third episode
Different people have different preferences
Even god is not sure.
I don't knnoww
The sex scenes are top notch
Because it's a good story.
I enjoy medieval warfare.
Emilia Clarke is hot.
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